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Courses
Starting This Week:
Build Your Novel
Scene by Scene
Instructor:
Mark Spencer
If you want to learn how to write a
story, but aren’t quite ready yet to hunker down and write 10,000 words
or so a week, this is the course for you. Get the impetus, the
guidance, the support, and the deadline you need to finally stop
talking, start writing, and, ultimately, complete that novel you always
said you wanted to write.
Writing
the Thriller Novel
Instructor:
Charles Kipps
Do you want to write an enthralling thriller that your readers can't
put down? In Writing Thrillers, a six-week workshop, you will get the
tools you need to get your thriller project off the ground or take your
current project to the next level.
Writing
the Young Adult Novel
Instructor: Holly
Alder
Do you want to learn how to write a young adult book and break into the
market? When you take this workshop, you'll get step-by-step
instruction on writing for young adults and learn how to sell your
novel.
How to
Write an Article
Instructors: I.J.
Schecter
It’s a great time to be a writer. There are more places to tell
stories, and more ways of telling them, than ever before. In online
lectures, supplemental readings, and written assignments and exercises,
we’ll talk about how to source, prioritize and develop topic ideas,
compose and refine pitches to multiple outlets, and much more.
Form
and Composition
Instructor: Kelly
Boyer Sagert
Proper grammar, punctuation, and mechanics make your writing correct.
In order to truly write well, you must also master the art of form
and composition. From sentence structure to polishing your prose, this
workshop will enhance your writing, no matter what type of writing you
do.
Fitting
Writing Into Your Life
Instructor:
Terri Valentine
Finding the time, energy, and motivation to get the writing done—day
after day—stumps even the most seasoned writer on occasion. Get a
glimpse into the life of a professional writer and set realistic
writing goals for yourself with this online workshop.
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Upcoming
Webinars:
Blogging Strategies
That Work in 2021
with Jane
Friedman
March 11, 1:00 PM EST
There are a lot of mixed messages out there about
blogging. When pursued with knowledge of the craft, blogging can be one
of the straightforward paths to build and engage a readership over the
long term for authors. In this 90-minute webinar, Jane Friedman will
teach you the principles of strategic blogging for authors and the best
practices she’s learned since she started blogging consistently in
2008.
What Agents and
Editors are Looking for in First Pages
with Katie
Shea Boutillier
March 18, 1:00 PM EST
The importance of first pages in query submissions can't
be overstated. Your ultimate goal is to make sure your readers (agent,
editors, and beyond) are into your work immediately. In this webinar,
literary agent Katie Shea Boutillier will provide a step-by-step
demonstration on the importance of strong first pages, focusing on
voice, tone, mood, setting, urgency, pace, description, dialogue, and a
natural approach to your characters.
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Upcoming
Virtual Conference:
7th Annual Mystery
and Thriller Virtual Conference
with 6
Award-Winning Authors
March 26-28, 2021
Gain expert insights from SIX award-winning and
best-selling authors on the finer points of how to write within the
mystery and thriller genres. Spend the weekend learning techniques for
honing your craft from six different published authors, then pitch your
novel via query letter to a literary agent specifically looking for
material in the mystery or thriller genre.
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EXPERT INSTRUCTORS | CONVENIENT ACCESS
INVALUABLE FEEDBACK
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Active Interest Media
P.O. Box 20730 Boulder, Colorado, 80308 USA
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As many writers
know, agents and editors won't give your work more than ten pages or so
to make an impact. If you haven't got them hooked by then, it's a safe
bet you won't be asked for more material. Make sure you've got the kind
of opening they're looking for! In this invaluable event, you'll get to
work with an agent online to review and refine the first ten pages of
your novel or non-fiction book. You'll learn what keeps an agent
reading, what are the most common mistakes that make them stop, and the
steps you need to take to correct them. The best part is that you'll be
working directly with an agent, who will provide feedback specific to
your work.
Here's how it
works:
On Thursday morning, February 25, you will gain online access to a
special 60-minute online tutorial presented by agent and editor Paula
Munier. It will help you clarify what you should be looking for in your
work. You
will also be notified by email which agent you'll be working with on
the start date, 2/25, by 5 pm ET. While we accept
agent requests, we cannot guarantee that you'll be assigned to that
agent. All agents have the ability to provide feedback in all genres
including non-fiction.
Students may take Thursday and Friday to revise their pages, which are
due to be sent to their assigned agent no later than 10:00 am (ET) on Saturday
morning, February 27, 2021. (The word count of
submissions is strictly limited to 2500 words and it should be
submitted in the body of their email, not as attachments).
All pages with notes will be returned to participants by 10:00 AM (ET) Sunday morning
(February 28th). You'll work to revise your pages based
on the agent's specific feedback.
On Sunday,
February 28 from 1 pm - 4 pm ET, Talcott Notch will host an online discussion board.
This is your golden opportunity to ask your burning questions about
craft and improving your writing, as well as industry topics like
trends, markets, working with agents, and more. Keep in mind, this is a
lively, fast-paced learning environment that will give you an
immense opportunity to learn not only from your faculty but from the
other participants' questions, so please pose questions that
won't require your instructor to stop the discussion to reread your
boot camp submission in the middle of the Q&A, but otherwise,
consider the faculty your treasure trove of industry secrets at your
disposal!
By 11:59 PM
(ET) Sunday night on February 28, you'll return your
final revised pages to your assigned agent for review. Agents will
spend the next few weeks reading the revised submissions assigned to
them and will provide a final brief one-or-two sentence critique of
your progress no later than Sunday,
March 14. Any one of them may ask for additional
pages if the initial submission shows serious promise.
*All attendees should have the first 10 pages of their novel or
non-fiction book finished and ready to submit to the agent prior
to the beginning of the event.
In addition to feedback, attendees will have access to "The 3
Missing Pieces of Stunning Story Structure," an on-demand webinar
by K.M. Weiland.
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Win
$5,000, a feature about you in Writer's Digest and so much
more!
For 90 years, Writer’s Digest has honored new and
up-and-coming writers in many genres or categories.
And it’s that time again—we’re looking for writing that strikes
and grabs us, that we can’t put down. We’re looking for
standout writing in any and all of the following categories:
- inspirational/spiritual
- memoirs/personal essays
- print or online article
- genre short story (think romance,
thriller, mystery, sci-fi, etc.)
- mainstream/literary short story
- rhyming poetry
- non-rhyming poetry
- script (think stage play or
television/movie script)
- children’s/young adult fiction
With so many options, we’re sure something you’ve written or
are writing will fit in. And we’ve seen a wide range of winners
in the past several years. Just be sure to check our website
for entry details—we have strict word count restrictions for
each category.
So, how will this competition help you? That’s easy. The grand
prize winner will receive $5,000 in cash, a trip to the
Writer’s Digest Annual Conference, and an interview for a
feature article in our magazine. First place winners in each
category receive $1,000, second place winners in each category
win $500, and on and on!
Ready to be the next Writer's Digest Annual Competition winner?
Enter by May 7 for the best price!
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In this issue, learn the 10 dos and don'ts
of writing a query letter, a step-by-step guide to
building an author website, a chance to get published
in the magazine, and more!
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10 Dos and Don'ts of Writing a Query
Learning how to write
a must-read query letter is nearly as important as
writing a must-read manuscript—after all, an enticing
query letter is what will get an agent to say,
"Love your story. Send me the full
manuscript."
(20
Literary Agents Actively Seeking Writers and Their
Writing.)
While
query letters vary a little depending on who the agent
is (and their guidelines) and what type of book you're
writing (novel, nonfiction, poetry, etc.), there are
many elements that remain the same. That's why I've
developed this list of dos and don'ts to help you
navigate what's really important to include in your
pitch and, also, what should be avoided at all costs. Read the full article...
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Craft & Business of Writing
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Step-by-Step Guide to Build Author Website
An author website
is your most critical tool for book promotion and
long-term platform development. It should be a 24/7
resource for readers and media—one that you update, own
and control—serving as an online hub for everything you
do. Read More...
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How to Write a Character Who Is Single
Anybody who's ever
read a book or seen a movie knows how single people are
portrayed in fiction and film. You have your stories
where the protagonist starts out broken in some way
(workaholic, promiscuous, selfish) and then suddenly
becomes a better person as the result of adding a
romantic relationship into his/her life. Read More...
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WD Poetic Form Challenge: Trenta-Sei
Write a trenta-sei
for a chance to get published in Writer's Digest
magazine in our most recent poetic form challenge. Fun
and free challenge. Deadline: February 28, 2021. Read More...
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Send Your Work
to 2nd Draft Critique Services!
No matter your style or genre, Writer's
Digest Shop offers a high-level view of your writing. You'll
not only learn what's working in your writing, but
what's not, and—most important—how to fix it. Gain a
critique of your manuscript, query letter, synopsis,
and more! Click here
to learn more >>
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3 Things to Consider When Retelling Myths
Working with
mythology is kind of like writing fan-fiction: Some
things are spelled out for you explicitly as rules of
this particular world or universe, and some things
aren't, and the trick is to create a story that sort of
fits in with what’s already there—without making the
story unbelievable to readers familiar with the
material. Read More...
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Robert
Lee Brewer
Robert Lee Brewer is a senior editor for
Writer's Digest and former editor of the
Writer's Market book series. He is also the author of Smash Poetry
Journal and Solving the World's Problems.
Find him on Twitter at @RobertLeeBrewer
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